The custom of building pyramids did not end with the Twelfth Dynasty; there are later pyramids at Manfalût, at Hekalli to the south of Abydos, and at Mohammeriyeh to the south of Esneh. Until the Roman period, the semi- barbarous sovereigns of Ethiopia held it as a point of honour to give the pyramidal form to their tombs. The oldest, those of Nûrri, where the Pharaohs of Napata sleep, recall by their style the pyramids of Sakkarah; the latest, those of Meroë, present fresh characteristics. They are higher than they are wide, are built of small blocks, and are sometimes decorated at the angles with rounded borderings. The east face has a false window, surmounted by a cornice, and is flanked by a chapel, which is preceded by a pylon. These pyramids are not all dumb. As in ordinary tombs, the walls contain scenes borrowed from the "Ritual of Burial," or showing the vicissitudes of the life beyond the grave. [30] This section is reproduced, by permission of Mr. W.M.F. Petrie, from Plate VII. of his "_Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh_." The vertical shaft sunk by Perring is shown going down from the floor of the subterranean unfinished chamber. The lettering along the base of the pyramid, though not bearing upon the work of Professor Maspero, has been preserved for the convenience of readers who may wish to consult Mr. Petrie's work for more minute details and measurements. This lettering refers to that part of Mr. Petrie's argument which disproves the "accretion theory" of previous writers (see "_Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh_" chap, xviii., p. 165).--A.B.E. 3.--THE TOMBS OF THE THEBAN EMPIRE. _Excavated Tombs_. Two subsequent systems replaced the mastaba throughout Egypt. The first preserved the chapel constructed above ground, and combined the pyramid with the mastaba; the second excavated the whole tomb in the rock, including the chapel. [Illustration: Fig. 144.--Section of "vaulted" brick pyramid, Abydos.] [Illustration: Fig. 145.--Section of "vaulted" tomb, Abydos.] [Illustration: Fig. 146.--Plan of tomb, at Abydos.] [Illustration: Fig. 147.--Theban tomb, with pyramidion, from scene in a tomb at Sheikh Abd el Gûrneh.] [Illustration: Fig. 148.--Theban tomb with pyramidion, from wall-painting.]